TOKYO, JAPAN — NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group (TYO:9432), announced today that it will establish the NTT Global Data Centers Preparatory Corporation as the first step in creating a wholly owned subsidiary to comprehensively handle data center construction, asset management and wholesale services for NTT Group companies on a global basis. The company will respond to rapidly growing demands for data centers across countries worldwide and further strengthen data center-related business within the group. NTT Com will launch the preparatory company by the end of this December. Going forward, the envisioned data center "investment company" is expected to begin constructing data centers from April 2019.

In particular, the preparatory company will integrate the NTT Group's special expertise in data center-related real estate and finance, creating a new data center business structure for faster decision-making and more efficient investment in data center construction.

Thereafter, the envisioned data center investment company will enable NTT Com to develop globally unified strategies and specifications as well as deliver services to customers as the core of the NTT Group's data center business. The company will also enable NTT Com to centralize its own worldwide data center businesses to satisfy the demands of NTT Com customers for globally unified and standardized services.

Going forward, NTT Com expects to accelerate its investment in data center business, especially in the U.S., Europe and APAC including Japan, by responding more flexibly to the scale and speed of services required by customers.